Bhubaneswar: The only eyewitness in the alleged poaching and burning of the carcass of a wild tusker in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district succumbed during treatment at the SCB Medical College & Hospital late Thursday night. The deceased identified as Turam Purty had consumed poison after being allegedly threatened by the three forest officials who were involved in the incident.
Reportedly, some forest staff had burnt an elephant carcass and threw the charred remains to a nearby stream to destroy the evidence after poachers killed the jumbo and removed its tusks in the core area of the tiger reserve. Purty, who was a temporary forest department staff, was present there and he sent some photos of the incident to the higher authorities.
Based on it, the forest department conducted a probe and suspended three forest officials identified as Jenabil ranger in-charge Shiv Shankar Samal, forester Chandrabhanu Behera, and forest guard Binod Kumar Das. They had threatened Purty with dire consequences if he opened his mouth. As a result, he lost his mental composure and drank poison on the night of December 11.
He was immediately admitted to Karanjia Sub Divisional Hospital and later shifted to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College & Hospital at Baripada. As his condition worsened he was again shifted to SCB Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack. However, he passed away during treatment.
It is pertinent to mention that the three forest personnel involved in the incident have been arrested.
